supportive presence of hospice …

Micco et. al. offer a reflection on the fundamental goals of hospice palliative care, reminding us that ” … when a suffering-less death becomes the medical summum bonum, morphine and other drugs become our sacraments.” Rather ” … [t]he original intent of the hospice movement was to provide a supportive presence for dying patients and their families, with close attention to all forms of suffering – physical, psychological, and spiritual.”